Balloons have heretofore been inflated with a gas such as air or helium and tied closed primarily using manual procedures. Prior balloon inflating practices have heretofore usually been conducted at face level and this technique has sometimes resulted in personal injuries ranging from minor cuts and abrasions to the eyes and ear loss. Some other problems associated with filling balloons are they tend to leak at the tie at the fill end portion and a further problem is that ultraviolet rays tend to attack the rubber in clear latex balloons and make them opaque. Further problems include the usual difficulty in supporting a balloon during inflation and difficulty in tying or closing off the fill end portion of an inflated balloon.